The Mafia's Runaway Wife

Harper- Can’t Be Too Careful

We've been in Taiwan for three months now. Ana and Willow have been the perfect Krestnyye materi. They helped the twins finish and launch their new video game, which instantly became a sensation in Japan and China. They are working on launching it in Europe and the United States next. They've already got the twins' next five-game models patten. The Nik-Amora brand has been put out and is in full effect. The only say so I had in the matter was the buildings and homes designed for the games. They handled everything else.

Even the twins' schooling was taken over by them. In three months, the twins are already halfway through 7th-grade class. At the speed they are going, the twins could be done with high school by the time they're twelve, if not sooner.

As much as I wish they could have a normal child, I know that's not possible. Even if life was simpler, they'd always be too damn smart. And as much as I push for childlike activities, I know that their brains are far beyond those activities. But I keep an open invitation for them to be the kids they should be or want to be.

Ana and Willow's interior design business, Bending Wills, skyrocketed internationally. They are currently working on designing their kitchen appliances for next month's launch and we couldn't have been happier. My Sage Modeling Equities business is currently in the top five on the Forbes list. We secured two contracts in China, two in Japan, and three in Europe. And after the launch of Nik-Amora, the girls and I are flooded with business proposals. To all our surprise, the twins used our brands in all of the games, along with listing us on their affiliations on all the fine prints. They can thank Noland and Jules for that.

Oh yeah, some way or somehow the twins found their uncle, my brother. Found out he was in Japan the whole time. Knowing how crazy I am about Japan, he spent the whole thirteen years there looking and waiting for me to show up. That was always our plan if one of us ever went missing, "meet me in Tokushima Prefecture." He held his end of the deal. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the same.

We caught up on what life has been like for the past thirteen years. Thank God, he was at a soccer tournament in Europe when everything went to hell. He only got to see our parents' dead bodies via social media and the news. I know it didn't make it much easier, but I wish I had that option. Anyways, he was able to sneak into Japan under the radar with the help of his best friend Calvin DuPont's family connection and link up with Japan's branch of the Reaper our parents founded.

He partnered with Calvin and launched the Cajoles investment firm. It's going international in a few months. He married a mixed Japanese and black lady named Akira and has two sons, Samuel, 7, and Carter, 6. We talk about twice a week, but the upcoming weeks will be more frequent.

Over the last three months, we've all been planning. We know or at least highly anticipated a war is heading our way.

I resumed my training and started training the kids. We got more guards to guard the "Safehouse", along with helping us with training and tactics. Things got a little easier after getting in touch with Jules. The Reapers Japan branch helped us get in contact with other branches around the world that Roman hasn't been able to infiltrate yet. We were also able to find out details of our parents' dealings and operations. We got to know a portion of their dirty secrets, but we know that we haven't even scratched the surface yet.

They've buried a lot of skeletons over the last 30 plus years. But I have a better understanding of them now.

Based on the documents left behind in one of their safes and details from a trusted Reaper, I'm supposed to take over the family business. I can't understand what would make them decide such astronomical foolishness of a decision. I don't approve of my parents' dealings or organization, and it's f****d up they left this disaster for me to deal with. I still need to confirm some things with Jules but finding him has been mission impossible times three. In my guts, I knew he was alive and I was praying to damn near every God and entity that he was safe. 

In a f****d-up world, Jules is supposed to take over the family business, but in a more f****d up world, it's passed down to me. Jules and I aren't that different. Even though I'm one year older, we might as well have been twins. But based on my parents' letters, I'm still older and less gentle than my brother. 

Ana and Willow did their own research on their families. They weren't as shocked or distraught as I was about mine. They had a better understanding of their family business than I did. They were front and center while I was in the dark. Hearing their stories, I can't say I envy them.

They were able to get in touch with the remainder of their family's men. Just enough men to get the job we needed to be done. We're hoping it won't come as far as we're expecting but from the moves Rome and his man have been making, I can't be too careful.

 The twins, girls, and dogs are laid out on the floor in the living room. It's only 3 pm in Taiwan but today's training got them all beat. Looking at them sleep, I decided to work on the last design for one of our recent contracts when I heard a noise on my laptop.

Looking at it, I see a notification. I have a message, but something is stopping me from opening it. It's 3 am in Florida and I know Nolan was not awake at that time. Other than the girls and now my brother, no one else should be able to contact me.

I have an idea who it is. I’ve planned for this, but as much as I tell myself that I'm ready, my body is still ready to jump into panic mode. I'd been working too hard to fall back into that icebox of a prison, so I controlled my breathing for a few minutes and opened the message.

"I'll find you soon, my Garmoniya"